Kingdom Hearts III:The Reign of Chaos
by KairiHeartzX
Summary: This is my first KH fan fiction. The plot is set one and a half years after the ending of Kingdom Hearts 2. There is a new evil,and it's planning to unleash chaos onto the universe. There are a few characters of my own. Chapter 7 is UP. R&R,plz!
1. Chapter 1

"Suzu? Mother? Father?"Kumi,and nine year old girl,called,searching for her family through a town she did not recognize. She did not understand:A storm suddenly appeared out of practically nowhere,ripping her neighborhood to shreds,and Kumi was swallowed by a black puddle. It wasn't water,or mud,but she still couldn't breath. She lost consciousness,and woke up in an alleyway in the middle of the day. She had been searching ever since,and it was nearly dark. She was scared,she didn't know anyone and she had nowhere to go.

**- - - -At Destiny Islands- - - -**

The ocean's tide was higher,stronger than it normally was. The three friends Riku,Sora,and Kairi took note of this after seeing suspiscious storm clouds the night before. They had an unusual purple tint to them,and the lightning was even purple-shaded.

"Do you think... Someone's trying to plunge the universe into darkness again?"Kairi asked,sitting on the bended trunk of the Paopu Tree on the peice of land risen from the main level of the beach.

"I don't know. Maybe."Riku replied,slightly lost in thought.

"I wouldn't be surprised."Sora spoke up. It had been a year-and-a-half since they had defeated Xehanort,or his Nobody,Xemnas,and things had been relaxing and peaceful. Sora and Kairi were now both seventeen,and Riku was eighteen. "King Mickey said in his letter to watch out for any strange happenings,and that storm was pretty strange."Sora said again. His two companions nodded in agreement.

"Hey,Sora! Riku! Kairi!"Donald's voice called a distance away at the shore of the beach. The three looked over,and saw Donald,Goofy,and King Mickey standing at the dock.

"Hey!"they all replied with a smile. Donald,Goofy,and Mickey came to visit Destiny Islands every once in awhile,and ocassionally brought news on what's been going on lately. But they weren't coming just to visit this time:they had serious expressions on their faces.

"We have some bad news,guys."Mickey stated after he,Donald and Goofy had reached Sora,Riku and Kairi. They did not speak,ushering him to go on. "There have been rumors of a powerful being,and it's-we don't know if it's a man or woman yet,but it's trying to take control of the Heartless. There have been reported sightings of heartless throughout the worlds,but they weren't attacking anyone,or anything. They were avoiding contact with the residents of said worlds,and they seem to be waiting for something."Mikey paused to take a breath and to collect his thoughts. "The being is very dark,and if the rumors are true,it's planning to plunge the universe into eternal chaos. _We can't let that happen._"Mickey put much stress on those last five words.

"So,you're saying we all have to leave? To find out about this being,and try to stop it as soon as we can?"Sora asked.

"That's right,Sora."Mickey said again. He turned to Kairi. "Kairi,we'd feel much better if you stayed at Disney Castle,where you'll be safe,since you're one of the Princesses of Heart."Mickey told her. "For the time being,that is. You'll be needed for the battle,if there shall be one. But,we'll also need you at the Castle until that time arrives."Mikcey shot at glance at Sora,who had thought of protesting this suggestion.

"Okay."Kairi gave the best smile she could muster up at the moment.

"When can you leave?"Goofy asked.

"Tonight,I guess."Riku said,and the other two nodded.

**- - - -One Month Later(with Kumi)- - - -**

Cold,scared and hungry. Those were the three things Kumi had mostly felt over the last month. She couldn't find her family,and she didn't have enough money to stay in a hotel. She mostly slept in the tunnel of the playground at the park,next to the slide and swings. She had to beg for money,but still that didn't get much. She'd usually only have enough to get something every few days,and she was getting thinner. She was caked with dirt in various places,her once porcelain skin was now a muddy brown,and she had nothing to remind her of her home except a small,worn-out stuffed animal she's had since birth. Still,the little bear was in better condition than herself. She thought she'd die living like that.

"Excuse me,mister."Kumi stopped a man who was walking by with his daughter. "C-could you happen t-to have any spare change?"she asked,shaking from the cold and bitter weather.

"No."he said rather coldly.

"I do."his daughter dug into her pocket,and took out nearly three dollars worth of change. "Here you go."she smiled sweetly,and handed Kumi the money.

"Thank you..."Kumi said,bewildered that someone had given her so much at once.

"Come on,let's go."her father pulled her away from Kumi. The girl waved to Kumi,and she waved back. No one else gave her any money,but that was alright with her. At the end of the day,she had about five dollars. She put the money in a small sack;she was going to save it for a little while. She felt something brush against her side as a boy around her age went by her. She saw her sack in his hand.

"Hey!"she yelled,and he started to run. She ran after him. "Hey,that's mine! Give it back!"she yelled,and he turned a corner. She zoomed after him,but he had already turned another corner and was out of sight. She didn't have the energy to run,but she needed that money. She turned the nearest corner,and ran straight into a tall boy. But,we know him as Riku! With an _oof!_,Kumi landed on her butt on the ground. She looked up at Riku,who was slightly startled. She inched away from him. "I-I'm sorry..."she said,her eyes wide. "P-please don't hurt me..."she closed her eyes,expecting him to kick her,or spit on her,or_ something_.

"I'm not going to hurt you."he said,crouching down. His voice was gentle,sympathetic. "What happened?"he asked.

"Someone stole my money pouch,and he ran off with it."Kumi told him,looking down. Tears had started falling from her eyes,she couldn't help it.

"Are you okay?"he asked,then mentally kicked himself. _Of course she's not okay! _He thought.

"I'm f-fine..."she wiped her face,only to smear the dirt more. Riku offered Kumi his hand,and she cautiously took it. He pulled her to her feet,she found it hard to regain her balance,so Riku put his hand on her shoulders to steady her. She looked up at him,her sparkling blue eyes standing out from her dirty face,and golden-brown hair. Riku got to eye-level with her.

"What's your name?"he asked again.

"I'm Kumi."Kumi replied,after a moment's hesitation. Riku took one look into her beautiful eyes,and she gave him a smile that melted his heart;he couldn't just leave her there.

"I'm Riku."he introduced himself. "Where do you live?"he asked her.

"In another world."she replied. She had learned of other worlds when asking around for help to get home,and she figured out that this world was not hers.

"How'd you get here?"he asked again,hoping she didn't feel uncomfortable with these questions. Kumi thought for a little bit. It was really a blur,now,she remembered bits and peices.

"There was a purple storm,and I sunk into a black puddle. I woke up here,and I've been here for a month."she said,and Riku's insides gave a turn.

_Her world was swallowed by Darkness._ he thought. _So, it's true. The being is real,and it's trying to plunge the universe into chaos._

"And,you don't have anywhere to stay."he half-guessed,half-stated. Kumi nodded. He gave her a smile as well. "Would you like to meet my friends? They're really nice."he asked of her,and she thought for a moment,looking down. She looked back up,nodding to him with another smile. He noticed her feet,which were bare,raw,and dirty. "It's a little ways away,do you think you can walk?"Riku asked her yet again,and she nodded. "Come on,then."he said.

They walked for ten minutes,and Kumi had started to stagger lightly with everyone other step. Riku took notice,and he offered to carry her.

"N-no,I'm alright."Kumi sounded utterly exhausted,and she looked like she was falling asleep on the spot. Riku agreed to let her walk still,but if she got worse,he would have to insist. After another few minutes,Kumi couldn't walk anymore,and she fell. Riku had caught her before she hit the ground,and was now carrying her on his back. She fell asleep almost instantly,and slept the rest of the way.

"Hey,Riku,what took ya so long?"Mickey asked as Riku enetered the hotel room they had been staying in for the last two days. Sora,Donald,Goofy and Mickey noticed the little girl he was carrying. "Uh...?"

"Kumi,wake up."he said gentley,and her eyes fluttered open a moment later.

"Hn?"she mumbled,rubbing her eyes. He sat her gentley back on her feet,and she hid partially behind him as soon as she saw the four others in the room.

"Go on. They're friends."he told her,and she cautiously stepped into view. "Guys,this is Kumi. Her world was swallowed by darkness."he said,and their eyes widened. "She's been living in the streets for a month,no one would take her in."he said.

"Riku,we can't just let a random person travel with us!"Donald said a little too loudly,and Kumi retreated behind Riku again.

"She's been living in the streets,Donald."Riku repeated.

"Riku,someone's gotta take her in other than us-"

"Don't you think that if there was anyone here that cared they would have immediately taken a little girl in from the streets?"he retorted. Donald had nothing to say back,and he turned to Mickey.

"King Mickey,you don't think she should stay,do you?"he asked Mickey.

"I agree with Riku."he stated.

"But your Magesty-!"

"The King has spoken."Mickey ended it at that. Donlad held his tongue. Sora approached Kumi,crouching down to her height.

"Hey,Kumi. My name's Sora."he smiled,and Kumi smiled radiantly.

"Mickey Mouse."

"Name's Goofy."

They all waited for Donald...

"Donald Duck..."he said,bitterly,still sore from his defeat on the debate whether Kumi should stay.

"Welcome to our 'family'."Sora said. Kumi had stepped back out from behind Riku.

"Are you hungry?"Riku asked her,and she nodded. He went over to the other side of the room,and picked through a pile of bags. He found one that had their foood supplies in it,and opened it. "What would you like?"he asked again. Kumi felt her stomach silently growl.

"Anything..."she mumbled. She'd be grateful for any food at the moment. Riku handed her a sandwhich,and some water.

"Hey guys,have you eaten dinner yet?"Riku asked his friends.

"Not yet,we were waiting for you."Sora said.

"Alright,how about we all eat,now."Riku said,and he handed them what they had packed. They all sat where they could,and ate together. Kumi was the first one done. She reached into her pocket,and felt the little bear her grandmother had made her before she died. Yes,the same one I was talking about earlier. Kumi wondered... Was she dreaming?

* * *

**Hey,peoples! I know what you're thinking. 'WTF? Her FIFTH Fan Fic,and none them are DONE?!'**

**Well,I don't blame you. But I keep getting hit with so many ideas! Anywhooz... Plz tell me what U think! Oh,and if any of you guys can come up with a better title for this story,please put them in a review or PM. Sadly,I don't own KH,KH CoM,KH2,or the upcoming game before they start making KH3. Oh,and most definitely not KH3.**


	2. Chapter 2

Kumi was having a a good time with her new friends. Donald seemed to have warmed up to her kindness after the first day(she'd been staying with them for four days),and he didn't scowl as much. Of course,he scowled at something or another,since he's so foul-tempered. But,not at Kumi. The only thing was... Kumi had nightmares almost every night. The first night,she woke up screaming bloody murder. That scared the crap out of them all. The second night,she woke up,and started crying. The third,she was okay. She dreamt about her and her grandmother,they were having a picnic in her backyard. The fourth night,she cried again,but silently,so she wouldn't wake them up.

"Kumi,do you want to go outside?"Sora asked her while Riku had gone to get more supplies. King Mickey had gone back to Disney Castle,to report what they've learned and start planning on what else to do,now that they were positively sure the being existed,and was indeed planning something evil.

"Okay."she smiled,and they went outside to the courtyard. They had gotten her new clothes,and a pair of shoes. They sat at the fountain,dipping their bare feet in the water. Kumi splashed it around,Sora slipped and fell in.

"Ah!"he yelled,before making a splash and got soaked. Kumi giggled,and he playfully splashed her. She splashed back,until they had started a 'war'. In the end,Sora won. Kumi got out,and put her shoes back on. She rung her clothes out,and Sora did the same. Kumi noticed something black moving in the shadows. She curiously walked over to it,and it disappeared. It reappeared after she started walking away. She turned around,and Sora gasped. "Kumi,get away from that thing!"he yelled,summoning his Keyblade. Kumi scurried away from it just as it swung at her with one of it's claws,and Sora killed it with one swipe. He grabbed her hand,and they ran back inside. "Guys,Heartless are here,now!"Sora and Kumi burst into the room,and saw Riku had just returned as well.

"WHAT?"they gasped.

"You heard right."

"We need to go to other worlds,gather more information."Donald told them.

"Right."they nodded. Kumi was confused.

"You can go to other worlds?"she asked.

"Yeah,that's how we got here."Goofy said.

"Kumi,I know what you're thinking,but your world was swallowed by darkness. Even if we knew where to go,it wouldn't be there."Riku told Kumi,who looked disappointed.

"But,we'll be able to save it,if we can find who's controlling the Heartless."Sora reassured her.

"What are Heartless?"Kumi asked again.

"They're what people become if their hearts are taken."Sora told her.

"Oh."

"You guys,we need to pack."Donald reminded them of their current situation. They all packed the supplies,and their things. Kumi carried the smallest bag. They reached the World Exit,and boarded the Gummi Ship.

"Wow."Kumi gaped. The Gummi Ship was so awsome! And after much arguing between Donald and Sora,they went to Traverse Town. They checked into a hotel in the Second District,and put their bags where they could.

"So,where do we start?"Donald asked.

"Start what?"Kumi asked again.

"Donald,Goofy,Riku and I have to do something. It's important."Sora said,not wanting to really tell Kumi everything,since she was so young and this wasn't her battle.

"Sora-chan,I'm nine,not dumb."Kumi said,surprising them all. "Is something bad gonna happen?"she asked again.

"Yeah."Sora gave in. "There's someone trying to destroy the universe. We were given a task: To travel around to all the worlds we can to get information."he told her.

"To answer Donald's question,why don't we start by going to Cid's Accessory Shop?"Riku suggested.

"Sounds good to me."Goofy said.

"Kumi,are you tired? Do you want to stay here?"Riku asked Kumi,and she looked up at him. "It's okay if you do."he told her.

"I'm fine."Kumi said. With that said,they set off for the Accessory Shop. Kumi was still very thin and weak,so after the first ten minutes,Riku picked her up and carried her. She hugged her arms around his neck so she wouldn't fall off. They came up to the door of Cid's shop,and went in. Cid look up from the book he was repairing,and smiled.

"Hey,Sora!"he waved,and Sora put his hands behind his head with a smile. Kumi tugged on the sleeve of Riku's shirt,and he let her down. Like usual,she wobbled,but was quicker than normal to regain her balance. "Hey,Donald,Goofy,and Riku."he gave them a smile,too(They had all went to Traverse Town first,so this was the second time they had been there in a month). He noticed Kumi. "Who's this?"he asked. Kumi was still very shy,but she knew by the way Sora was smiling at him,he was another friend.

"My name's Kumi."she said,her voice was quiet,a little hoarse.

"Hey,Kumi. I'm Cid,nice to meet ya."Cid gave her a smile,and she smiled back.

"Hey,Cid,have the Heartless been getting more active?"Riku asked suddenly,and they all remembered why they came here.

"Oh,yeah,they have,little by little. One even tried to attack one of the residents."he told them. "They're all heading toward the Keyhole in Second District,they're going in groups every once in awhile."Cid continued,they all listened. "They're still hiding,but not as much,and there have been more and more sightings with every day that passes."he continued.

"They're everywhere,Kupo!"the big-nosed-midget-chicken-thing(So I don't know what it's called,big whoop.)that was always standing on the table told them.

"Jiminy,you getting all this?"Sora asked the cricket on his shoulder. That was the first time Kumi had noticed it.

"Sure am,Sora!"Jiminy said,still writing in his journal.

"Gawrsh,there've been lots of Heartless around lately."Goofy said,crossing his arms.

"You're tellin' me."Cid sighed. "But,you should go to the Magician's Study,and ask Merlin. He''ll know more."Cid told them,and they nodded.

"Thanks,Cid."Sora said,and they all left. They walked up to the door to Third District,and pushed it open. They found a small group of Heartless heading their way,appearing out of nowhere. Riku summoned Way to the Dawn,and Sora summoned his Keyblade. The Heartless immediately attacked;there were two Large Bodies, four Shadows,and four Blue Rhapsodies. But,instead of attacking Sora and his gang head-on,two of the Shadows went after Kumi while the other Heartless kept the others from protecting her.

"Kumi!"Riku yelled,and Kumi looked at him as she backed away from the Shadows. "Kumi,run!"he yelled,fighting off the Heartless that kept reappearing after being destroyed. Kumi was frozen with fear,she couldn't breath. "RUN!"Riku roared,and Kumi forced her suddenly heavy limbs to move. She ran as fast as she could,oocasionally having to dodge Heartless that were appearing at her front,rear,and sides. A Blue Rhapsody hit her in the stomach with Blizzard from ahead,and she gasped as the wind was knocked out of her. She quickly got back up,and ran again. A Shadow slashed at her leg,and she tripped. She hit her head with a horrible crack on the pavement,but the pain didn't come. She was suddenly falling through the air,but the ground never came either,and she found herself standing on a circular platform,the tile was like stained glass. It made up a picture of herself,holding a staff that was dimly glowing in her right hand. But,the left half of her body in the picture was darker;what in the world was this? Then,three objects appeared in front of her. Kumi looked around,wondering what was going on.

_Step forward..._

Kumi subconsciously obeyed,feeling like she must do as told. She stepped forward to the center of the platform.

_Great power is within you. Give it form,it will give you much strength._

Kumi noticed what the objects were... A sword,a sheild,a magician's wand.

_Choose your power wisely,child... You do not know yet what lies ahead for you._

Kumi chose the sheild,and looked at it.

_The power of the Gaurdian... A sense of undying compassion,the ever-lasting will to protect those you hold dear. You choose this?_

Kumi nodded. The sheild disappeared in her hands.

_What are you going to give up in exchange?_

Kumi took the sword.

_The power of the Warrior... Immense strength,a sword of terrible destruction. You choose to give up this power?_

Kumi nodded again,and the sword disappeared as well.

_Your path is now set._

A black puddle began to swallow Kumi,and she struggled against it. She sunk in,anyway,and found herself on another platform. Four Shadows appeared around her,and a staff appeared in her hands.

_This is your weapon:The Staff of Hearts. Use it to protect yourself,and your friends._

Kumi had no time to think:the Shadows attacked. She hit at them,eventually killing them all. The platform shook beneath her feet,and a giant Heartles appeared. No longer than a second after it noticed her,had it struck her with an attack that weakened her immensely. It hit her again,and everything faded to black around her. She found herself lying back at the pavement in Third District,Shadows watching her curiously.

"KUMI!"Riku yelled,desperatly fighting off the never-ending wave of Heartless. Kumi sat up,and the Shadows leapt away from her in surprise. She noticed the staff in her hand:It was her height,at the very top the wood split in four. A purple heart-shaped orb was placed ontop,and was glowing dimly. Kumi got to her feet,and slashed at the Heartless;they immediately were killed. The staff began to quiver and tremble,and pulled itself in the direction of her friends,who were in danger. It pulled her towards the Heartless,glowing blindingly bright. The Heartless began to retreat,but an enourmous Thunder spell erupted from the staff,killing every last Heartless there. Kumi was shaken,not knowing what was going on. She dropped the staff,and it disappeared the second it hit the ground. Riku and Sora put away their weapons,and Riku hurried over to Kumi's side. She hugged him,shaking,and he hugged her back.

"Nii-chan..."Kumi mumbled,surprising Riku. **(A/N: For all potential readers who do not know,the japanese phrase "Nii-chan",or "Nii-san"(whichever you prefer),means "Big brother" and/or "Brother figure". Also,the first part of the phrase is is pronounced "Nee".)**

"What?"Riku asked,slightly bewildered.

"Nii-chan..."Kumi repeated. "I'm scared."she was softly crying.

"What was that thing you were holding?"Riku hesitantly asked her.

"It's c-called the Staff of Hearts. I-I don't know how I got it,but I did."Kumi told him. So,she was another Warrior,the Staff's chosen one. Riku picked her up.

"Come on,let's go to the Magician's Study."he said,and they looked for the door emblazoned with the Flame,which they found hardly a minute later. Sora opened it,and they all entered the cave. Rike had slight difficulty jumping onto the rocks,due to fact he was still carrying Kumi,but they eventually made it,and entered the tiny hut.

"Ah,Sora!"Merlin greeted them with a smile. "How nice it is to see you,again."he shook Sora's hand,and Riku sat Kumi down on the spiraling steps to the raised stone platform.

"Hey,Merlin,have you heard anything new about the Heartless,and the one causing all of this?"Sora asked.

"Oh,yes. I've also learned a little about who the she is."Merlin told them.

"She?"Sora repeated.

"Yes,it is a woman. Or rather,a Sorceress."Merlin told them. "Her name is Midori,she is extremely powerful. She used to be very kind,but was corrupted by Darkness,and became evil,disturbed. She's power mad,and is convinced that if she unleashes Eternal Chaos onto the Universe,she'll receive it."Merlin's tone was grim,as his expression.

"Jiminy-?"

"I'm writing it down."Jiminy told them.

"Merlin,there's something else..."Riku started,then paused. He glanced at Kumi. "We have someone else traveling with us,now,and she received a weapon and-"

"And you want me to tell you what is going on."Merlin interjected.

"Uh,yeah."Riku said,and Kumi carefully slipped down from the stone steps to the ground,and stood beside Riku.

"Alright,then. Her name?"he asked.

"Kumi."

"Well,Kumi. Can you show me your weapon?"Merlin looked down at Kumi,who nodded.

"But,I don't know how to get it here."she said.

"Hmm. Try calling to it,it should obey and come to you."Merlin told her. Kumi closed her eyes,and concentrated for a few moments. Her hair and clothes started looking like they were being blown in a soft wind,but no wind was present. A second later,the staff appeared in her hands. She handed it to Merlin,who peered at it for seconds before nearly dropping it in shock.

"Oh my,this is unbelievable!"Merlin exclaimed,looking at Kumi,the staff,and back again.

"What?"Riku was getting slightly worried from Merlin's reaction.

"This girl is so young,I can hardly believe it possible for her to weild such a weapon!"Merlin said again,but still mad only a little sense. "This staff is one of the three most powerful weapons in the universe! The Staff of Hearts! THE Staff of Hearts!"Merlin was looking over the staff by every inch. He looked at Kumi,then at her allies.

"Wait,how powerful?"Sora asked.

"It's more powerful than the Keyblade,itself!"Merlin told them,and they gaped. "Such power hasn't been seen for hundereds of years! I thought the staff had been destroyed centuries ago!"he was almost yelling,now,and Kumi was getting scared.

"Merlin!"Riku interupted the Magician's outburst. "Calm down,Kumi is frightened easily."he told him,and Merlin looked back at the young girl. Merlin gave her a smile,before his expression became serious.

"My dear,you must be very careful. That witch is most likely after this weapon,you must take good care of it."he told Kumi,who nodded. He handed her the staff,which gave a warm glow to be back in it's master's hands. "When did you receive this weapon?"her asked her.

"Today."Kumi told him,and Merlin nearly had another outburst,but restrained himself with the fact that he would most likely give Kumi a heart attack.

"T-today?"he asked the others,as if to comfirm this statement with them.

"Actually,more like twenty minutes ago."Sora told him,and Merlin nearly had a heart attack himself.

"How old is she?"he asked again.

"She's turning ten next month."Riku said.

_'This girl must be very powerful to get the Staff at such a young age... Although I admit I am worried it will fall into the wrong hands.' _Merlin thought.


	3. Chapter 3

Three days went by,and Kumi asked Sora and Riku if they could teach her to fight. Riku seemed more reluctant,since Kumi was so young,but she was another chosen one. So,he felt they had no choice,but train her,and let her fight with them when they came across Heartless or other enemies.

"Alright,Kumi. But,when do you want to start?"Riku asked her.

"Today."Kumi told Riku. This was surprising,since most nine year old girls didn't like to fight,but Riku agreed:the sooner,the better.

"Alright. How about we practice in the courtyard?"Sora suggested.

"Sounds good."Riku said. They were just about to head out of the door to the courtyard,when Mickey came in.

"Hello,your Magesty."Goofy and Donald greeted Mickey,and he nodded towards them.

"You guys,have you found anything out?"Mickey asked them.

"Yeah,we went to Merlin's place,and he told us what he knew."Sora said.

"Well?"

"It's a Sorceress,her name is Midori,and she was corrupted by Darkness. She's power-mad,and is convinced that if she unleashes eternal chaos onto the universe,she'll get it."Riku cut in,folding his arms across his chest.

"Hmm. Guys,I got this feeling yesterday that there was a new weapon that revealed itself."Mickey told them.

"We know."Donald told him.

"You do?"

"Yeah,it's called the Staff of Hearts,and Kumi's the master."Sora gestured to Kumi,who looked at Mickey.

"Kumi?"Mickey repeated,raising his eyebrows(uh... does mickey mouse HAVE eyebrows? o.0).

"Yup."Riku said,and Kumi summoned the Staff. Mickey gaped from the staff to Kumi.

"We're going to teach her to fight,starting today. We were about to go to the courtyard,then you came for a report."Sora told him.

"Well,go on and teach her,then."Mickey told them.

"Alright."Sora,Riku,and Kumi left the hotel,and went into the courtyard. Riku summoned Way to the Dawn,and Sora summoned his Keyblade.

"You'll need to work on fighting a little first."Riku spoke. Kumi took the fighting stance she had when she fought the four Shadows in... What was that place,anyway? A dream,maybe? Kumi shook the questions away,trying to focus on her training. "Then,we'll start to teach you magic."he told her,and she nodded.

"Hey,Riku,how about she goes up against me,first,since you're stronger?"Sora suggested. Riku agreed,putting away his weapon,stepped back,and Sora took his fighting stance. "Come on,you go first."he told Kumi,and she nodded again. She rushed forward,and swung the Staff. Sora blocked the attack with ease,and forced her back a few steps.

"You're holding back."Riku said.

"I-I don't wanna hurt anyone..."Kumi told him.

"You're gonna have to give it all you've got."Sora told her. "Don't worry about me,I'll be okay."he said again,and Kumi nodded. Again,she took her fighting stance,as Sora did his. She swung her staff,and Sora blocked her again. The weapons were pushing against one another,making a grinding sound,and Sora slid back a foot,and then pushed Kumi back in return. She jumped out of the way as he swung next,and barely blocked his next strike. Kumi jumped up as he kicked for her feet,and hit him from above with her Staff. Sora was knocked down,but immediately jumped back up to his feet. He swung at her,this time making contact. She yelped slightly,but swung back. Sora blocked her again,and pushed her back by another few feet. He slashed at her,and the Staff was knocked from her hands. It fell to the ground with a clang,and Kumi went to her knees. She held her arm,where the keyblade had made contact with her skin. Sora took out a potion,handed it to her,and she took it. The slice on her arm went away,and Kumi stood back up,calling the Staff. It reappeared in her hands,and she swung at Sora again. This time,she hit him clear in the stomach,and he grunted in pain,not thinking she was going to attack again. They were interlocked in 'battle' once again,Riku watching with intrest at Kumi's sudden skill. Or maybe not so sudden? Riku wondered,if Kumi had had to fight in her world,if she was bullied? If she had any siblings that liked to pick on her? But,he dismissed the thought for now,paying attention to what was happening right now: Kumi and Sora seemed evenly matched,both having just as many wounds,cuts,or gashes as the other. Sora was just as exhausted as Kumi,both struggling to keep standing at this point. They both fell from exhaustion,Kumi falling last. Riku healed them both,and Sora stepped into the sidelines as Riku stepped forward. Kumi got up,clutching her Staff as if it was her lifeline,and looked up at Riku. He,of all people... She didn't want to fight him,even if it _was_ just training.

"Get ready."Riku told her,and she hesitated to take her stance. Riku took this hesitation for an advantage,and knocked her back down with one swipe. "First rule: Don't hesitate to fight,even if it's with your best friend."he told her. Kumi got back up,this time immediately taking her stand,and slashed her staff at him. He blocked it quicker than Sora had,and pushed her back yet again. "Second rule: Never hold back,give it everything you've got."Riku told her again,and she stood back up for the third time. Kumi wobbled,but regained her balance and gripped tightly onto her staff. She rushed forward,and struck at Riku with all her strength. He blocked her attack again,but she had hit with such force he was knocked back a few feet. He regained his balance before he even fell,and charged forward. Kumi hardly dodged his first swipe,and blocked his next. She hadn't excepted him to kick at her feet like Sora,and she went down. She caught herself,and rolled out of the way just as Way to the Dawn came crashing down exactly where she had been sitting a moment before. Kumi jumped back up,only to be knocked back down. Riku was just too strong for her. But,she kept on,even though her strength was almost literally draining from her body every second. She staggered to her feet,her Staff supporting her for no more than a second before Riku knocked it out of her grip. She summoned it back to her hands as it flew through the air,and hit Riku unexpectedly in the side. Riku grunted as well,surprised of the strength of Kumi's attack. He swung back,and she was quick to block it. She hit at his weapon,knocking it out of his hands,and hit Riku in the back,knocking the wind out of him. He staggered to the ground,but immediately called his weapon back and jumped back up. He threw it in Kumi's direction,and she moved out of the way. But,it got her in the shoulder. She hissed,but tried to block the pain. Her ears perked as she sensed the weapon coming at her from behind,and she twisted out of the way as the blade came whistling by. Sora gaped at the battle;Kumi now seemed to match Riku,which was outstandingly impressive for her age. Kumi dodged Riku's blow,then blocked another,and another. She swung at him just as he swung at her,and sparks flew from the two weapons as they collided full-blast with one-another. Riku and Kumi were knocked back by the force. Kumi hit the ground flat on her back,while Riku landed on his hands and knees. Kumi gasped for air as it was knocked out,and coughed painfully. She still got up,sweat dripping from the side of her head,and ran at Riku,who was having trouble catching his breath. He blocked her attack yet again,but the force knocked his blade far away,and knocked him flat on _his_ back. The blade landed straight up-and-down,sunken into the grass. Kumi pointed the staff at him,inches from his neck,indicating her victory. Her breaths were short and uneven,and she hardly had the energy to keep conscious. Riku nodded his head,and Kumi dropped the Staff to the ground. He got up,and Way to the Dawn reappeared in his hands. He put it away,and Kumi sunk to her knees. He picked her up,and carried her back into the hotel room,Sora following them. As they entered,the three others looked at them.

"How'd she do?"Donald asked as Riku lay the sleeping girl on the bed.

"She was amazing,you guys! She almost beat me!"Sora exclaimed,earning slightly shocked expressions from Donald,Goofy,and Mickey.

"She _did_ beat you,Sora."Riku said.

"She did? Really?"Sora asked,scratching his head.

"You both fell,but _you_ fell first."Riku told him. "So,yeah."he said again,surprising the three others even more.

"Well,she beat _you_,too!"Sora crossed his arm with a small scowl. This was the biggest shocker of them all.

"WHAT?!"Donald,Goofy,and Mickey yelled,their eyes wide. Riku felt a bit of color rush to his face because he,an eighteen year old boy,true master of the Keyblade,was beaten by a nine year old little girl with a stick(hehee:D). The yells from the three woke Kumi. She tried to sit up,but pain met her attempt to do so. Riku healed her,but it wasn't enough to completely work,so he tried again. It still wasn't enough,and he tried again. Finally,she was okay.

"Nii-chan...?"she mumbled,rubbing her eyes,which were trying to focus themselves. Riku sat next to her on the bed,smiling.

"You okay?"he asked as well.

"Yeah... Are you?"she said,and he nodded. She sat up.

"I'll be fine."he told her. She smiled at him,then it disappeared.

"Are we done training today?"she asked again.

"Why? Do you still want to train?"Riku asked as well.

"Well,I need to learn Magic."she told him. Well,that was true,she did need to learn magic.

"Alright,but let's wait a little bit."Riku told her,and she nodded.

"Kay."she smiled again. They all spent the next hour discussing the ongoing amount of heartless,what Midori might be planning,and how to handle it.


	4. Chapter 4

"The time is near."Midori spoke quietly to her servant,as she stared into the crystal ball floating inches above the surface of her table.

"You mean the girl?"

"Yes,that girl does not yet know her full potential."Midori replied,watching an image of Kumi practicing her spells and Magic,along with Donald and King Mickey,who were teaching her.

"But she is so small,Mistress,what can she do?"

"Fool! You do not know what I know! I have seen her future,her destiny! That staff is the key to our plan! Without it's power,we will not succeed in our quest!"Midori yelled,clutching her hand around the servant's neck. He gasped for air.

"My... apologies... Mistress!"he choked out,and Midori dropped him onto the ground. She took out her staff,which was nearly identical to Kumi's,except that it was black,and the orb was not shaped as a heart,nor was it an actual orb. It was a spherical cloud of Darkness Matter that floated half an inch above the top of the wood. She waved it,and the servant screamed in pain. The screams died out after a few seconds as he was engulfed in a pool of darkness,and a female servant appeared in place of her brother's.

"Afternoon,my Mistress."she bowed low.

"Do not test my patience,or else end up like your foolish brother."Midori told her.

- - - - - -

Kumi had been practicing for hours on end,and none of her friends knew how in the world she had so much energy. After all,she was still underweight,and very small,but she still practiced for hours until she dropped. This worried Riku more than the rest of them,because they didn't know how good that could be for her,if good at all. She was not improving with her Magic and Spells as much as her fighting,but she was still improving little by little.

"Kumi,you need to take a break."Donald said,a safe distance away from Kumi(her aim is terrible) along with King Mickey.

"But... I haven't improved-since-last-week!"Kumi protested,still trying to hit the targets,which she hadn't been able to do for the last few days. She threw spell after spell,but always missed. She continued still,only stopping when her MP was out. She'd then hit at the targets with her staff,to gain more MP. Once she had enough,she went back to casting spells. Finally,she hit some of the targets. She aimed one last time,before her MP went out again,but instead collapsed to the ground. She moved her arm slightly,but that was all she could do. Mickey and Donald both went to her side,but she had already gotten up. She held her side,which was searing with pain,and both Donald and Mickey cast Cure on her. She summoned the staff back into her hands,and took her fighting stance. She was struggling so much to keep standing,her entire body was shaking. Mickey put his foot down;he couldn't let her put herself through that anymore.

"Kumi,_stop_. That way you're training yourself,it's not good for you. You'll hurt yourself more than help,you've got to pace yourself."he told her firmly,and Kumi put her staff away. She staggered back into the motel room they were staying in,and Riku immediately went to make sure she wasn't seriously hurt.

"Kumi..."

"I'll be okay."Kumi told him.

"You need to eat."he placed a sandwhich in her hands. She sat down on the bed,and ate like she was told. She fell back onto her pillow with a sigh,and immediately feel asleep. Riku sat down next to her with a sigh as well,and watched her as she slept soundly. Sora stared at her as well,wondering what they were all wondering:

How much longer could she keep this up,before she pushes too far? They all went to bed,seeing as it was getting late.

Riku awoke to the soft sound of crying,and sat up. Kumi had just awoken from another nightmare,and was sitting in the corner of the room,knees to her chest,her shoulders shaking.

"Kumi?"he whispered,and she sniffed.

"I had another bad dream,Nii-chan."she whispered back,wiping her tear-stained face.

"Do you want to sleep in my bed?"Riku asked her,and she nodded. She crawled over to him,and hugged him. She laid down next to him,still shaking from her sobs,and Riku put his arms around her. "Did you have bad dreams this much in your world?"he asked her,and she yawned.

"No."she answered,and he wondered if it was because all of this was happening to her so fast. I mean,for a nine year old girl to have to lose her home,and her family,and for her to have to fight Heartless,maybe to the death,it's a lot to get used to. Kumi closed her eyes,and fell asleep. Riku dozed off to sleep soon after.

- - - - - -

Midori stared with a disgusted face upon seeing how sweet that little moment was. "That boy is going to be a problem."she said to no one in particular.

"Mistress,shall I give the order to rid him from our way?"the servant asked,and Midori looked at her for merely a second. The servant prepared for death.

"No. He shall play a part in my plan,an important one."Midori said simply. "Leave them be."she said,and the servant bowed. "But,before you go,send out six Nobodies and four Large Bodies in the morning."she told her again. Midori's thin lips curled into a evil smirk. "I want to know how strong she truly is."

"Yes,Mistress."she bowed again,and disappeared.

- - - - - -

_I've gotta get strong... I've gotta be able to fight!_ thought Kumi as she practiced in the early hours of the morning yet again,practicing her spells. She sat down,not having the energy to even swing at the targets,and realized she didn't have any ethers on her. She sighed,and sat there to rest for awhile,until her energy came back. She took a bite of her sandwhich,and waited. Soon,she stood back up,and summoned her staff. Then,before she realized it,six Nobdies and four Large Bodies appeared out of nowhere and charged her. She jumped out of the way,then slashed them with her staff. She kept slashing at them,but hardly any damage was made. Finally,she got the hang of it. Hit at the Large Bodies from beind,and dodge the Nobodies whenever possible. Then,strike. She killed them eventually,and then collapsed. Riku woke up to the well-known fact that Kumi was already outside training,but didn't expect to see her collapse this early. He looked out of the window just in time to see her go down,and he immediately rushed outside to help her.

"Kumi,what happened?"he asked,kneeling next to her. She got up,panting and sweating.

"H-Heartless... Ten of them..."she told him,and he gaped.

"Ten? Kumi why didn't you call for help? You could've been really hurt!"he scolded her,then noticed she was crying.

"I-I'm sorry... I don't know why I didn't..."she sniffed,and Riku gave a small sigh. He put his arms around her in a hug.

"It's okay,Kumi. As long as you're safe,it's okay."he told her,and she hugged back. "But please,if any Heartless come out,call one of us out here. I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you."he said,and Kumi nodded. "I love you like a sister,Kumi. You're like the little sister I never had."he said again,and Kumi started crying again. But those tears were of joy,not sadness.

"I love you,too,Nii-chan"she hiccupped. Riku handed her a potion,and she took it thankfully. He helped her up.

"I want you to take a break,today. No training."he told her,and she looked up at him.

"But..."

"Let's go out,walk around and see the sights."he said,and Kumi looked at her feet. "How about it?"he asked. Kumi hesitated for a moment,then looked back up with a small smile,and nodded.

"I'd like that."she said,and they left after leaving a note for their friends.

Sora woke up,yawning,and saw a peice of paper next to him. He took it,and read it.

_Kumi and I went out to look around the town. We'll be back in a couple of hours,maybe less,so don't worry._

_--Riku_

Sora looked around the room,and Riku and Kumi were indeed gone. King Mickey had left as well,back to Disney Castle. Meanwhile,Riku and Kumi were walking down the street.

_"Kumi."_A voice sounded at Kumi's right. She looked to the right,but no one was there. She turned her attention back to what Riku was saying.

"So,where do you want to go first?"he asked-

_"Kumi."_the voice sounded again. It was vaguely familiar... Kumi looked to her right again,saw her brother,her _real_ brother,and she gasped.

"Ah!"she yelped in surprise,stumbling to the ground. Riku stopped in his tracks,and followed Kumi's eyes. No one was there.

"Are you okay?"he knelt beside Kumi,who nodded. She stood up,brushing the dirt off her clothes. Then,she noticed her brother was gone.

"Yeah,I'm okay. I just tripped."she said,trying not to think about her brother at the moment. A feeling of sudden despair dawned over her,and a chill sent itself down her spine and up again. Kumi whirled around,seeing many Heartless approaching them. Some of the residents of the world froze,others fled,others panicked. Riku immediately summoned Way to the Dawn,and Kumi summoned her staff.

"Mama!"a little girl was crying,turning around in circles looking for her mother,who had been swept away in the crowd of panicking passersby. "Mama! Mama!"she wailed,and screamed as a Shadow Heartless came running at her,seeing it's chance to get another heart. Riku scooped the little girl into his arms,rolling out of the way of the Shadow. Kumi in turn killed it with one swipe. The little girl,frightened and panicking,wailed and struggled,thinking Riku was going to hurt her. He sat her down,and a woman was seen fighting against the ongoing crowd of residents.

"Heartless! Thousands of them! Heading this way!"many of them screamed,and Riku and Kumi saw that thousands of Heartless were now reaking(sp??) havoc on the small city. Some of the unfortunate residents were stopped,and the heartless kept hitting at them,until their hearts eventually left the innocent's bodies.

"MAMA!"the little girl wailed.

"Suki!"the woman was pushing against the crowd with all her might. Kumi and Riku began fighting off the Heartless,knowing they'd never be able to do it on their own. Kumi then tackled the little girl's mother out of the way just as a Large Body came hurtling by.

"That little girl! There! That's my daughter!"the woman cried,and Kumi dashed throught the crowd. She grabbed the little girl,and dashed back,handing the woman her daughter. They clung to eachother. "Thank you,so much! You saved her!"the woman told Riku and Kumi.

"RUN!"they told them in unision. The woman picked up her daughter,and ran. Kumi was hit in the arm by a Nobody,and the back from a Yellow Opera. She slashed at them,and Riku was knocked down.

"Sora! Donald! Goofy!"he realized,and Kumi helped him up. With much difficulty,they ran back to the motel to find it trashed and crawling with Heartless. They began to fight them off,making their way to the second floor. Donald was sprawled on the floor,out cold,and Goofy was just waking up.

"Where's Sora?"Riku asked,and,as if on cue,Sora came crawling out from a pile of rubble. He held his head,were a lump was beginning to form. Goofy sat up,and cast Cure on Donald,who jumped up with a yell and waved his wand around.

"Heartless! Let me at 'em! Let me at 'em!"he yelled,then stopped,seeing that the Heartless were gone. "Whaa?"he scratched his head.

"Sora,I'm so sorry,we couldn't get here sooner."Riku said,and slung his friend's arm around his shoulder to keep him standing. Sora shook his head slowly.

"It's okay... You came as fast as you could..."Sora panted,trying to catch his breath. The floor beneath them shook and began to crumble. They rushed for the stairs,barely making it outside before the building collapsed. All of the other guests and employees were outside already. The five took a look at the chaotic scene: The Heartless were still at large,and many of the people were trying desperately to flee. "We've got to fight them."Sora said,taking out a potion. After a few seconds,he felt good as new,and Riku let him go. They all sprang into the battle,getting as many people as they could out of harm's way. Sora and Riku were back-to-back,fighting off some Power Wilds and Nobodies.

"Look out!"Donald was pushed out of the way of a rampaging pack of Knights by Goofy. Kumi was knocked to the ground,but got back up.

"Thunder!"Kumi yelled,pointing her staff high in the air. As the Thunder spell came down on the Heartless,she was struck by another Large Body. She fell into the grasp of four Shadows,who started pulling her away. She hit at them,and got out of their grasp. She was hit by a Fire Spell,then struck by the Red Nocturne who had hit her with that spell. She fell to the ground,her HP nearly out,and several Shadows held her down. She struggled,but was to weak to push them off.

"Kumi!"Riku rushed to her,and killed the Shadows holding Kumi down. She got up,and immediately began fighting again. She didn't have the energy to fight much longer,but didn't show it. She was struck by more heartless,again,and again. Riku whirled around just as the final blow was struck:Kumi had let her guard down for not even a second,and a Nobody struck her from behind. All time seemed to slow down for Riku. He killed all Heartless in his path as he tried desperately to reach the little girl he had grown so attached to. Kumi dropped the staff,and it hit the ground with a clang. She gave Riku a small smile,tears slipping down her face.  
"Kumi!"he yelled. A pink blur rose from Kumi's chest,and it rose into the air,beginning to disappear within seconds. She fell forward. The Heartless all stopped in their tracks,watching Kumi's demise with what seemed like curiousity.

"Kumi!"Riku yelled,catching her. As soon as Kumi's heart completely disappeared,the Heartless disappeared as well. Riku went to his knees,and turned Kumi around,so she faced up at him. "Kumi..."he stared in disbelief at Kumi's frail body. Sora,Donald,and Goofy all rushed to their side. The ghost of Kumi's last smile lay on her face,although her eyes were closed. Riku clutched Kumi's body in his arms,shaking with his sobs,and he held her in a hug. "Why?"he asked her,but he knew she'd never answer. He'd never be able to hear her voice again. Never. Her body began to change into a Shadow Heartless,and Riku stared,his eyes wide,at this fact. "No! _No!_"he yelled,tears slipping down his face. The Shadow jumped away from him,and began to scurry off. "NO!"Riku yelled,and raced after it. The Shadow began to disappear. Riku grabbed for it,but grabbed air. Kumi's Heartless was gone. Riku fell to his hands and knees,sobbing. "KUMI!"he yelled again. "Come back... Please."he choked out. Sora,Donald and Goofy were crying as well.


	5. Chapter 5

"Sora,Riku!"Kairi ran to her friends,who were still mourning from the loss of their young companion. "What's wrong?"she asked,seeing the four's sad expressions. King Mickey appeared as well,and wondered the same thing.

"She's gone."Sora said,clenching his fists.

"Who?"Kairi asked again. "The little girl that Mickey told me was travelling with you?"she asked again,and they nodded.

"Gone? You mean kidnapped?"Mickey asked.

"No."Riku's voice cracked. And,Kairi noticed for the first time,Riku was crying. "The Heartless took..."he couldn't finish the sentence. He began sobbing again,sitting at the exact spot where Kumi had died. "Her heart. _They took her heart_."Riku then realized exactly what had happened. His fists clenched tightly,seething with hatred and despise toward Midori,for taking Kumi's life,for taking an enormous part of his light. Yes,his friends were his light,but Kumi had an effect they hadn't: she _was_ light. In his opinion,and without her,his light was beginning to sink into darkness again.

"_I won't let her sacrifice be in vain_."Riku was never as enraged as he was at this very moment. He stood up,but couldn't find the strength to keep up,so he sunk to his knees. "I swear... I swear on my _entire existance_. I'll get you... MIDORI!"Riku roared to the skies,his voice echoing like thunder,tears still slipping down his face,and Sora went to comfort him,but he pulled away. "I'm going to find another hotel."Riku found sudden strength,and walked off. He needed to be alone.

- - - - - -

"Mistress,without Kumi,the Staff is useless."the servant pointed out as she and Midori watched the battle through the crystal ball. The servant winced as the final blow was struck,and did not know what to say after it was all over.

"Do not under estimate me,Yuroshi."Midori glanced at the servant,who we now know as Yuroshi,then waved her staff. A dark portal appeared in the floor,and Kumi appeared,unconsious. "I had this thought out long before now."Midori sneered,then laughed cruelly as Yuroshi flinched away from Kumi as she stirred slightly in her slumber.

- - - -Flashback- - - -

Kumi fought with all of her power,knowing she couldn't keep this up forever. Just as the Nobody was about to strike,all time froze in it's spot. A woman appeared through a portal of darkness,wearing a black cloak with a hood. She stepped forward.

"Who're you?"Kumi asked,taking her fighting stance again.

"You already know,child."Midori spoke,taking off her hood to reveal pale skin,along with pink-purple colored eyes.

"Midori."Kumi got out,and stumbled away from the witch.

"Do not fear,I do not wish to harm you."Midori spoke with a false sugary-sweetness,but Kumi wasn't fooled. "I am here to help."she spoke again,with a fake smile.

"Liar."Kumi 'accused' of her. Midori's smile turned into a frown.

"Do not get me the slightest bit angry,brat,or pay with your life."Midori warned her. Kumi charged forward,and struck at Midori,who merely disappeared in darkness. Kumi suddenly couldn't move,and she gasped as a black puddle formed under her feet. She didn't sink in,but the puddle enclosed itself around her,forming a black 'flower'. It was identical to the one Namine had used on Sora. A sudden feeling of cool-headedness came over Kumi,her eyes closed,and she fell into a deep slumber. The flower disappeared with Kumi inside it,and a heartless appeared in the spot Kumi was in before Midori had stopped time. It changed it's appearence to Kumi's,summoning a fake staff,and the battle continued. The Heartless purposely let it's guard down,and purposely let the Nobody strike it. Midori had chosen that Heartless specially for this plan,because it was very obedient,and had captured more than one heart. Midori had figured out how to release one of the hearts from it without having to kill it,and did so as the Heartless went down. She even got it to cry fake tears and smile.

Not knowing what was really happening,Riku cradled 'Kumi's body' in his arms,sobbing. The Heartless took it's chance to change back and escape. Midori's plan had worked perfectly.

- - - -End Flashback- - - -

Midori stared blankly at Kumi as she slept inside the small flower,deep in thought. For eight days now Kumi had slept,not hardly moving at all. Midori had pondered all the while for the next phase of her plan. Then,an evil smile curled onto her thin lips. She knew exactly what she was going to do. She waved the staff over the dark flower pod,and it glowed with a hazy purple color on the inside and out. Kumi did not stir,oblivious to the world around her. Midori saw Kumi's dreams,her memories,her thoughts,her feelings... Her light. Midori needed to change that light to darkness to achieve her goal,and she knew what to do.

- - - - - -

They had tried everything,but they couldn't snap Riku out of his ongoing phases of depression and rage. He had had three outbursts of uncontrollable rage,all of which he had tried to take out on the Heartless. A few times he had acidentally struck his friends,while fighting. When so mad,he can't see anything around him; all he focused on were the Heartless,and the instinct to kill them.

"Riku,look out!"Sora tackled Riku out of the way of a rampaging Air Soldier,and Riku did nothing to stop it. Now of all times,why couldn't he be in rage?

"There's no point..."Riku muttered,clutching his head in his hands as they sat on the ground,out of the way of the Heartless,for now.

"Snap out of it,man! Kumi wouldn't want you to die doing nothing! She'd want you to fight,and if you die,it'll be bcause you tried to make a difference! If you don't do anything,then you're the one making it so that her sacrifice _is_ in vain! You're acting like you don't care!"Sora said,shaking his friend by the collar of his shirt. Riku looked at him,a menacing glint now in his eyes,and Sora then realized what he had said. "Riku."Sora back away from him.

"Don't."

"Riku,I didn't mean that."Sora raised his hands up in defence.

"Don't you _dare_ ever claim that _I don't care!_"Riku yelled,his voice booming.

"Then prove that you _do_!"Sora told him,and Riku summoned Way to the Dawn. He advanced on Sora,and then attacked. Sora rolled out of the way,then was about to yell at Riku for it,but realized he had just killed a Knight that was standing right behind him. Thus,the battle continued.

- - - - - -

Kumi awoke suddenly,and found herself in darkness. Not even a moment after her eyes started adjusting,did the thing,whatever it was,that she was inside of open. She stepped out,holding her aching head.

"Hello,Lita."Midori greeted Kumi with a smile.

"Lita...?"Kumi repreated,looking up at the woman.

"You're finally awake,and I can see that you're much better."Midori smiled still,looking at her.

"Better?"Kumi repeated again,very confused.

"Don't tell me you don't remember?"Midori asked.

"Remember what?"Kumi asked as well.

"Oh dear... Well,no matter right now. Let's get you to your room."Midori led Kumi into a small room,where she sat her down on a bed.

"What happened...?"Kumi asked,then realized she did not know the woman's name.

"Oh,my name. It is Midori. Lita,you were kidnapped. I rescued you,but you were very hurt. And it seems that in my process of healing you,your memories have been forgotten."Midori explained,smiling sweetly at Kumi.

"Oh... Lita... Are you sure that's my name?"Kumi asked yet again.

"Of course."Midori was surprised. "How are you feeling,now?"she asked as well.

"Okay,I guess."Kumi replied,the ache in her head gone. She looked around the room. There was no window,the walls were painted a lavender color,and she noticed two pictures on the dresser. She stood up,reached up,and took them both down to look at them. The first one was a picture of her and Midori,smiling at the camera. The second one was of them as well,but Midori was younger,and Kumi was just a baby. "Are you my mother?"Kumi asked Midori,who laughed.

"Oh,my goodness,no. I'm your sister."Midori lied very convincingly.

"Then where's mama?"she asked again. Midori's face fell.

"Lita,mother and father both died when you were a baby."she lied yet again,and this time,Kumi's face fell.

- - - - -Three Weeks Later- - - - -

Kumi walked with Yuroshi down the street of the market,both carrying a basket of items each.

"Yuro-chan,can I ask you something?"Kumi suddenly spoke after being quiet for a while.

"Of course."Yuroshi smiled.

"Am I supposed to be here? I feel like something's been taken away from me,and that it's important,but I don't know what. I feel like I have to be somewhere else."Kumi said quietly.

"Oh,Lita,don't feel like that."Yuroshi had a surprised look on her face.

"I'm sorry."Kumi apologized. Then,a very blurry image flashed inside her mind. She could make out herself,but she was with someone she didn't know,a boy. He was hugging her. Then,as fast as the image came,it was gone,and Kumi realized Yuroshi was gone. "Yuro-chan?"Kumi called out,then the basket slipped from her hands.

The image came back,then another,but clearer. She was sleeping next to the boy,who was cradling her against him to make sure her dreams were peaceful. Then,they were both walking down a street,eating ice cream. Then,they were fighting monsters. The images were getting clearer with each passing one. Kumi held her head,which was spinning,and bumped into the boy from the pictures in her head. Riku. She looked up at him,and he stared down at her in utter and complete shock. More images came into her mind. Them laughing together,fighting,what was that thing she was holding during that fight?

Staff of Hearts...

Kumi then remembered why she was feeling the way she was:She didn't belong there,with Midori.

"Kumi?"Riku reached down to touch her,to make sure he wasn't imagining her again. Kumi backed away from him,shaking,more memories flashing through her mind.

"Th-that's not my name..."Kumi didn't know what to do.

"Kumi,wait."Riku stepped forward,and Kumi took another step back.

"Stop calling me that."Kumi covered her ears.

"You're alive."Riku choked out. Then,there was a flash of light,and the Staff appeared in Kumi's hands. She stared at it in confusion. "Kumi..."

"Stop calling me that!"Kumi yelled at him,and ran. Riku ran after her,and stopped her. She struggled to get out of his grip.

"What's wrong? Just tell me!"Riku held her,not knowing if he should feel hurt because of how Kumi was acting,or worried,or just happy she was alive.

"LET GO!"Kumi roared,and hit him with all the force she could. Riku was knocked back and down,and stared at her with wide eyes. What was wrong with her? Yuroshi then came up,holding both baskets.

"Lita,you know better than to talk to strangers."Yuroshi scolded her. Kumi glanced at Riku,then Yuroshi opened a dark portal,and they left Riku alone there. Kumi burst into Midori's room,still clutching the Staff in her hands.

"You liar! You lied to me! You're not my sister,my name's not Lita! I'm not supposed to be here!"Kumi was restrained by Yuroshi and another servant she hadn't met. Midori stared at her,an unreadable expression on her face,then sighed.

"Kumi,I did that to protect you."Midori told her,and Kumi squinted her eyes.

"What do you mean?"she asked,still angry.

"I'll show you,only if you promise not to attack me or anyone here."Midori said,and Kumi agreed. "Come."Midori ushered her over to her crystal ball,and waved her staff. An image of Riku,Sora,Donald,Goofy,and Mickey appeared. And,there was another girl. "They thought you were gone,so they merely replaced you with that girl there. They don't care whether you're alive or not,they don't care if you go back to find them. They'll just reject you."Midori told her,and Kumi stared at the ball. Kairi was sitting in between Riku and Sora,they were laughing. "They're laughing at you,for thinking they cared."Midori lied,and Kumi clenched her fists. She took her staff,and smashed the crystal ball to peices,so she wouldn't have to look at them anymore. Tears were slipping down her face,her shoulders were shaking with sobs. "Join me,Kumi. You won't have to worry about them ever again."Midori smiled,and Kumi lowered her head. She went to her knees,bowing to Midori.

"I am here to serve you,Mistress."she bowed low until her forehead nearly touched the floor.


	6. Chapter 6

"You guys,I swear,I _saw her_... She was walking down the market!"Riku sat down with his friends.

"Riku,you've imagined her before."Kairi said.

"But I wasn't imagining her this time! She's alive!"Riku yelled,not at her in particular,just to yell.

"Tell us what happened."Sora said,and Riku looked down for a moment.

"Kumi bumped into me,and she looked frightened. I reached down to touch her,to make sure I wasn't imagining things,but she backed away. I called her name,but she said to stop calling her that,she said that wasn't her name. She ran,and I caught up with her."Riku paused,and they stared at him. "She hit me away,with her staff,then a young woman came running up,calling her Lita. She told her that she knew better than to talk to strangers,and... they left through a portal of darkness."he finished,and they gasped.

"Portal of darkness? Are you sure?"Sora asked.

"No,Sora,they left through a portal of sunshine and flowers."Riku retorted sourly,sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"Okay,geez."Sora put his hands up in defense.

- - - - - -

"Mistress,the preparations have been made."Yuroshi bowed low to Midori,who was sitting next to Kumi,watching the Heartless and Nobodies on the ground from the tower's window.

"Preparations?"Kumi repeated,looking at Midori.

"I have been preparing a training course for you,Kumi."Midori glanced at Kumi.

"Training course..."Kumi repeated,remembering all of the days she trained with her friends. _No,they're not my friends! They never were._ she thought,glaring at nothing in particular.

"This course will allow you to take out your frustrations,and push your power to it's limit."Midori said,turning her head to look at Kumi. Kumi looked back.

"When will I get to use this training course?"Kumi asked her.

"Any time you wish."Midori replied,and Kumi looked back down at the Heartless and Nobodies.

"Any time I wish."Kumi repeated again.

- - - - - -

Kumi stood in the middle of the arena,clutching her staff,surrouned by Heartless. The Heartless stood still,awaiting Midori's orders to strike.

"Kumi,they're not waiting for _me_ to give the orders. They're waiting for you."Midori spoke from her seat on the sidelines,and Kumi looked at her.

"Me?"she asked.

"Who else?"Midori smirked slightly. Kumi looked at the Heartless surrounding her.

"Come on,already."Kumi told them,and they immediately did so. A sudden feeling of great power rushed through her,and she killed one after the other with ease. They kept reappearing,more and more with each group. Kumi's vision seemed to sharpen ten-fold,because she could now interpret the next moves of each Heartless there. Her movement sped up,and she would look like a blur to the naked eye. Midori was not blind to Kumi's skills,though. She could see every single movement that the girl made.

After only twenty minutes,the groups of Heartless ceased to appear,and Kumi still stood high and proud.

"Excellent,Kumi. You were able to defeat every single Heartless without taking much damage."Midori spoke again. Just then,six beasts appeared that Kumi had never seen before. "Now,you must fight my pets. Kill them if you wish,I have many more."she told Kumi,who gripped so tightly onto her staff it might've broken. "This is a test of your wit. These are not normal Heartless,they can think for themselves,and outwit their enemies. You cannot merely strike at them."Midori warned Kumi,who seemed in a daze. The beasts were whispering to each other in an unknown tongue,the whispers echoing in her head. Kumi bounded forward anyway,and screeched as they all slashed at her at once. She jumped up,bounding off the arm of the largest,and flew through the air. She landed on her hands and knees,and took out a potion. She quickly drained it,then hurled out of the way of one of the beast's attacks. She slashed at them,one after the other,but she merely caused them to skid backwards five inches and caused hardly any damage at all.

"They won't die!"Kumi yelled in frustration.

"I told you that this is a test of your wit. You cannot merely strike at them."Midori spoke again.

_Then what am I supposed to do?!_ thought Kumi angrily,still dodging the beasts. She then was struck with a thought. She jumped up onto a wall,bounded off of it,and landed gracefully on her feet far away from the beasts. She took a few seconds to catch her breath,then ran back toward them. She jumped onto the neck of the largest one,and touched the orb of her staff to the top of it's head. The orb glowed,and immediately Kumi was able to understand what the beasts were saying:

_"Kill the girl... Kill the girl." _the first one spoke.

_"She cannot harm us..." _the second one spoke.

_"She does not understand what we are or what we can become." _the third one spoke.

_"Kill the girl." _the fourth one spoke.

_"She is just a human." _the fifth one spoke.

_"I must not die." _the last one spoke.

_"I must not let her control me..."_ the third one spoke again.

The voices were eerie,but Kumi did not need to listen to them anymore,she knew exactly what to do. Her eyes began to glow a hazy purple color,and the glow stretched itself throughout her body. First traveling down her neck,then down her arms and the rest of her body. From her arms,the glow then spread to the staff,then to the orb. The orb glowed strongest,then the eyes of the beast Kumi was sitting on glowed as well. The beast was under her control. It roared,and raced toward it's companion,tackled it,and tore at it with such brutality the average person might've become ill. It screeched and roared in pain,then was still. A large sum of hearts floated out of it's chest,then the hearts all shattered. As the shards fell to the ground,they disappeared into nothingness before they even hit it.

_Hearts aren't meant to be shattered like that after leaving the possesion of a Heartless. I've done something wrong._ Kumi thought,and paused. The beasts all stared at the remains of their companion,except for the one Kumi was still controlling. She thought for only a few seconds before the other beasts came attacking her. She directed herself from harm's way,then realized what to do. The beast was still running around and dodging the others,and Kumi directed it instead at the others. It slashed at one of them,sinking it's claws into it's chest. The beast roared,crumbled into dust,releasing a sum of hearts larger than the first's. The hearts all floated upward,and disappeared. Kumi repeated this process with the others,then killed the one she was controlling.

Midori was on her feet,clapping slowly.

"Very excellent. You figured out it."Midori's smile was not a smirk,but one of pride. Kumi appeared beside her,a blank expression now on her face. "You are better than I imagined."she told her. They both left for the tower,to discuss their plans.

**- - - -Flashback(Three days ago)- - - -**

Kumi sat next to Midori in front of the large window over-looking the Heartless and Nobodies.

"More and more nobodies are appearing each day."Kumi took notice to that fact.

"Yes,and that means that our plan is working."Midori answered. Kumi looked down at her feet,wondering if she had made the right choice,if she was on the right side. Midori took notice to Kumi's sudden guilt-filled aura.

"What's the matter?"she asked the young girl,who's eyes widened.

"N-nothing."she stuttered. Midori didn't believe her.

"Don't tell me you are feeling guilty of your choice?"Midori said,and Kumi looked away from her.

"I can't help but feel so."Kumi spoke as well. Midori's face hardened slightly,and she gave a slightly aggrivated sigh.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to resort to this."Midori said,and Kumi looked at her,her eyes full of confusion. "You still have feelings of compassion toward your former 'friends'. I cannot have someone with such power feel such emotions toward her enemies."Midori told her,and raised her staff. She stuck her staff through Kumi's chest,and the now ten year old girl yelled in pain. She twisted it counter-clockwise,and forced it in further. Kumi placed her hands on the wood of the staff,trying to stop her. Midori merely twisted it further,making Kumi screech again. She pulled her staff out of Kumi's chest,and Kumi fell to the floor,still conscious,but couldn't move. She watched as the light in her heart seeped out,and darkness replaced it in mere seconds. Her emotions and feelings that connected her and Riku together all disappeared,leaving plenty of room for hatred and anger to develop,and her gaze emptied itself of all life. You might think that she was dead,had it not been for the slow rise and fall of her chest. She got up.

"How do you feel?"Midori tested her,and Kumi's expression darknened. She looked up at Midori,summoning her staff,and pointed it straight at her neck.

"You wish to destroy me if I fail in our mission?"Kumi spoke,her grip inhumanly tight on the end of her staff.

"Not at all,child. If you fail,I'll merely make you stronger."Midori replied,and Kumi lowered her staff,her expression blank yet again.


	7. Chapter 7

"Where am I?"Sora spoke as he looked around him. He got up,holding his head. Suddenly,a transparent figure appeared in front of him,and he nearly yelled out in surprise. He tried to summon his keyblade,but it didn't appear in his hands.

"Relax,I'm here to help you."a gentle female voice came from the figure. The figure looked familiar... Sora just couldn't remember her name. She smiled at Sora. "Sora... You've got to listen to me."Namine took a few steps toward Sora,who stood in his place.

"Who are you?"he asked her.

"You'll find out soon enough."Namine extended her hand out to him with a smile. "I want to show you Midori,and what she's done to your young friend."her voice seemed to echo slightly. Sora's eyes widened.

"Kumi? She's really alive?"Sora asked her,and Namine's smile disappeared.

"More,or less. You'll have to see for yourself to know what I mean."she told him,and he hesitated. "If you trust Kairi,then you trust me."she said,and Sora's eyes widened.

"Namine!"he smiled,taking her hand. As soon as their hands made contact,a blindingly white light shone from them,and soon engulfed them. "What the?"Sora sheilded his eyes,and Namine merely smiled. Then,the light disappeared,and Sora realized he was standing right next to Kumi. "Kumi!"he yelled happily,but she didn't respond as she sat next to Midori. He noticed she looked different. The clothes they had gotten her were supposed to be a navy-blue,but the ones she was wearing were black. "Can she hear me?"Sora asked Namine,who shook her head.

"No,she can't. This is what was happening two weeks ago. Look."Namine gestured to the large window,where he looked down.

"That's alot of Nobodies!"Sora's jaw dropped.

"It's doubled,now."Namine told him,and just then,Midori stood up. She talked to Kumi,while pacing across the room. "That's Midori."Namine pointed to her,and Sora then realized part of what was going on.

"Wait,Kumi's with the Darkness!"Sora gasped,and Namine nodded sadly,taking Sora's hand.

"I need to show you another thing."she said,and they were again swallowed by the light. They appeared in the same room,but this time,they could hear the conversation going on:

"You still have feelings of compassion toward your former 'friends'. I cannot have someone with such power feel such emotions toward her enemies."Midori told her,and raised her staff. She stuck her staff through Kumi's chest,and the now ten year old girl yelled in pain. She twisted it counter-clockwise,and forced it in further. Kumi placed her hands on the wood of the staff,trying to stop her. Midori merely twisted it further,making Kumi screech again. She pulled her staff out of Kumi's chest,and Kumi fell to the floor,still conscious,but couldn't move. She watched as the light in her heart seeped out,and darkness replaced it in mere seconds. Her emotions and feelings that connected her and Riku together all disappeared,leaving plenty of room for hatred and anger to develop,and her gaze emptied itself of all life. You might think that she was dead,had it not been for the slow rise and fall of her chest. She got up.

"How do you feel?"Midori tested her,and Kumi's expression darknened. She looked up at Midori,summoning her staff,and pointed it straight at her neck.

"You wish to destroy me if I fail in our mission?"Kumi spoke,her grip inhumanly tight on the end of her staff.

"Not at all,child. If you fail,I'll merely make you stronger."Midori replied,and Kumi lowered her staff,her expression blank yet again.

Sora couldn't believe what he had just seen.

"Midori replaced the light in Kumi's heart with Darkness,Sora. Kumi doesn't have most of her emotions,either. Midori took them away so she could let hatred and anger grow larger in her heart."Namine explained,and Sora looked shocked. They reappeared again,in the stand of the battle arena,where Kumi was now fighting ten beasts he has never seen. "Midori was able to somehow combine Nobodies and Heartless together,and it resulted in those things that Kumi's fighting."Namine said again. "She won't remember any of you until she has to fight. Then,once she remembers,her rage feeds her power."Namine continued to explain. "She's practically a Nobody,now,except she has a heart. And the fact she can feel hatred and anger. That's the only difference."Namine spoke still,and Sora had to take a few seconds to comprehend what she was saying.

"Riku's gonna be crushed if I tell him."Sora realized,putting his face in his hands.

"Roxas is showing Riku this same thing right now."Namine said to Sora,who looked back at her with a confused look,and Namine giggled. "I contacted you through your dreams. Your heart and Kairi's are connected,so it was easier for me to do it. But for Roxas,it took him a little longer to get the hang of it."Namine giggled at that statement,and Sora gave a small laugh as well,then his smile faded as Namine began to flicker between slightly transparent and very transparent. "I've got to get you back,and I've got to get back to Kairi."Namine took his hand,and they disappeared again.

Sora woke up with a start,and sat straight up-right. He held his head,then nearly jumped out of his skin when something touched his shoulder. He turned around,and Riku was looking at him with the same shaken expression he had.

"Riku!"Sora whispered. "Namine just visited me in my dreams!"he said.

"I know. Roxas told me that Namine was showing you exactly what he was showing me."Riku replied quietly,and sighed. "I can't believe it... Kumi's on the dark side."Riku clenched his hands into loose fists.

"Midori's practically turned Kumi into a Nobody,except she's still alive."Sora sighed as well,then remembered something. "Wait,the reason Midori even did that to Kumi was because she regretted joining her!"he told Riku,who's eyes widened in realization.

"That's right."Riku said with a small smile.

**- - - - - - - -**

Midori waved Kumi off after a long training session,and Yuroshi greeted the young girl at the door.

"Are you tired?"Yuroshi asked Kumi,who did not even glance at her.

"No."she replied in monotone.

"Are you hungry?"Yuroshi asked again.

"No."Kumi replied.

"How do you feel?"Yuroshi had sparked annoyance in Kumi,and she gulped as Kumi summoned her staff and rose it to strike her.

"Kumi,do not harm Yuroshi."Midori appeared next to them.

"I do not feel like dealing with her annoyance,so my first thought was to get rid of her."Kumi said to her,looking up at the woman with a blank expression.

"Do not harm Yuroshi."Midori repeated herself,and Kumi reluctantly put her staff away. "You must control yourself today,ecause we have some unexpected visitors."Misori told her,and Yuroshi gave her a confused look while Kumi's expression never changed.

"I will."Kumi agreed,and Midori whispered something in Yuroshi's ear,causing her to nearly yell out in surprise,but the servant scurried off anyway.

Yuroshi ran a few feet before creating a portal of darkness and disappeared through it. Kumi's expression changed to slight intrest.

"You have not shown me how to do that."Kumi pointed out,and Midori smirked.

"Then I shall teach you right now."Midori said.


	8. Chapter 8

"If what you told us is really true,then we've got to act now."King Mickey said with a serious expression on his face. He,Donald,Goofy,Sora,Riku,and Kairi were all sitting at a round table at Disney Castle. The others agreed. "I've been researching,and I think I've found Midori's location."Mickey continued,and paused to take a look at everyone there. He gave a small sigh. "We may have to fight our way in,and some of us may not survive,"he looked at Riku,"and Kumi may not survive either. But no matter what,we must stop Midori."he told them all,and Sora grasped Kairi's hand. She gave his hand a squeeze with a small smile.

"Kairi,I'd feel much better-"Sora started.

"You want me to stay here so I won't get hurt."Kairi interjected,and Sora fell silent. He waited for her to agree... "No."she told him,and his eyes widened.

"B-but,Kairi..."Sora stuttered.

"No,Sora. I'm fighting with you,no matter what you say. I'm not going to sit here and hope you'll survive,and then get the news you've died in battle."Kairi told him,slightly raising her voice.

"I'm not going to-"

"You're only human!"Kairi said,glaring at him. "I'm not going to sit here like I did last time,or the time before! I'm going to make a difference."the determination in Kairi's voice was like nothing they've heard before. A smirk made it's way onto her lips. "Besides,I've been practicing."Kairi told them,standing up. Mickey gave her a nod,and she summoned the Keyblade Riku had given her almost two years ago. But,this one was different. Where the spike-like part usually was at the top,was instead replaced by three hearts. The two on the left and right were identical in size,but smaller than the one in the middle. The color of the Keyblade faded from a light-blue at the bottom all the way to dark navy-blue at the top. The handle was an upside-down heart,with a small chain attached to it. The charm on the chain looked like a miniature version of the lucky charm she had given to Sora just before Destiny Islands had been restored. "This is Twilight Destiny. My new and improved Keyblade."Kairi grinned from ear to ear with an accomplished look about her face. All of the other's jaws dropped,besides King Mickey,whom had already seen Kairi's Keyblade in action. "I'm _going_ to fight."Kairi's expression turned serious again,and she looked at Sora in particular.

"Alright..."Sora sighed in defeat. Kairi smiled and sat back down after putting away her Keyblade.

- - - - - - - -

"Kumi,remember,do not come into contact with our visitors. Stay hidden if you are in the same room,do not say anything to them. Keep your eyes on them. And if any of them make it to this floor,you may battle them. Show no mercy."Midori intructed Kumi with a stern tone,and Kumi nodded stiffly.

"Watch them... Stay hidden... Battle them on the final floor... Show no mercy."Kumi repeated the instructions to herself a few times to make sure she memorized them.

Meanwhile Riku,Sora,Kairi,Mickey,Donald and Goofy stood at the front of the castle,all looking ragged and worn out from all of the fighting they had to do to get there.

"It just gets worse from here on in."Riku said quietly,his mind only focused on getting Kumi back.

"Yep."They all agreed. They each took a potion,and entered the castle with caution.

"Hello,there."a girl smirked at them. She was around fifteen years old,but was short for her age. She had long blonde hair,peircing icy-blue eyes,and pale skin. She was wearing a hooded cloak that was not just black,but black,white,and grey. None of the others let their guard down. She was leaning against the wall to their left. "My,my,you took longer than the Mistress had expected."she seemed to be taunting them,but her tone said otherwise. Sora growled under his breath in annoyance,but stood his ground. "Anyway,my name is Calexia. I'm supposed to stop you,I guess."she said with a snort. "But you guys won't be much fun."her expression suddenly turned to seriousness.

"Oh yeah?"Sora challenged her,taking his fighting stance even more.

"You're actually wanting to fight me? If I had a heart I'd probably be dying of laughter."Calexia gave a very convincing laugh. She stood upright,facing them with a serious expression on her face yet again.

"Aren't you going to use your-?"Sora began.

"Weapon? Yeah,right,like I _need_ a weapon."Calexia rolled her eyes,and balled her hands into fists. Suddenly,five replicas of the Nobody appearred from darkness,and all six of the Calexia's sprang at them. They all began trying to fight them off,but found they couldn't put a single scratch on any of them.

"Gravity!"Kairi yelled,and the clone she was fighting flattened to the floor,only to spring back up,unharmed,untouched. There was a difference between the clones and the real Calexia. The clones seemed to be a darker shade than the real one. Kairi looked at the real one,and screamed,"What the hell are you?!"

"Invincible!"Calexia laughed maniacally,fighting off Riku and King Mickey. But,just as suddenly as the clones had appeared,they all disappeared into darkness. Calexia's eyes widened in what would be shock as a narrow stream of pure light shot straight through her chest. The light engulfed the entire room,and when it cleared,Calexia lay half-dead on the floor. Her eyes were partly closed,her mouth ajar,and the rise and fall of her chest was decreasing wth every passing second. She turned her head,looking at Kairi.

"Damn you."she choked out,before fading into oblivion. Kairi fell to her hands and knees. Her eyes were dull and blank,and Sora and Riku immediately rushed to her side.

"Kairi?"Sora shook her gentley. She didn't respond. "Kairi!"Sora said,shaking her again. Kairi mouthed the word _Namine_,and Sora looked up at two transparent figures. It was Roxas and Namine,although Namine was now becoming solid.

"N-Namine..."Sora got out,and Namine smiled. She was holding a Keyblade identical to Kairi's,except that hers was completely white.

"I'll be fighting as well."Namine's voice echoed less as she spoke,and looked at Kairi. She cast cure on her,and Kairi sprang up,her eyes wide.

"Namine? Roxas? But how...?"Kairi's voice trailed off,looking utterly confused.

"We don't know,but we're not complaining."Namine laughed lightly.

"Speak for yourself."Roxas crossed his arms. He was still transparent,and his voice echoed as well.

"Oh,sorry."Namine rubbed her arm uncomfortably,looking at her feet.

"Come on."Riku spoke out for the first time in awhile,heading toward the door that lead to the stairs to the second floor. They all followed,including Namine and an annoyed Roxas. They fought their way up the stairs through a river of Shadows and Knights,luckily not taking much damage,and came upon a giant room on the second floor. Another Nobody was waiting for them.

"Seven against one? That's not very fair."a very little girl was standing in the center of the room. She was atleast seven years old,and was wearing a coat just like Calexia's,except it was much smaller in size. Her hair was raven-black,and her eyes were hazel. "I'm Hex."she told them.

"That's _eight_!"Roxas shook one fist in the air.

She gave them a small smile,and then her eyes turned a red-ish color. Her eyes jolted wide-open,and a wave of invisible energy crashed into the group in front of her.

They suddenly felt an intimidatingly large wave of despair fall over them,and their limbs became heavy as sleep began to take them over. Roxas was immune to the effects,and gasped at the others began staggering.

"You guys! No,stay awake!"Roxas yelled at them,looking frantically from one of his friends to the next,and the next.

"No point... Kumi's made her choice..."Sora said as his eyelids became heavy. He fell to the floor.

"So tired..."Namine and Kairi said in unision,and they both fell at the same time.

"We can't stop Midori."Donald yawned.

"No,we _can _stop Midori!"Roxas pleaded. "You guys..."he mumbled,and looked at Hex,who was humming to herself. He charged at her,and was engulfed in darkness. Hex looked at the beam of black light that came hurtling toward her,and screamed as it hit her directly. She fell to the floor,faded into oblivion,and all of the others slowly woke from Hex's spell. Sora held his head,feeling uneasy,and Roxas reappeared. He grinned from ear to ear as he realized he was solid now,and Namine got up. She smiled at Roxas,who smiled back. They all headed toward the third floor. No one was there,and they sighed in relief. But,just as they were heading toward the fourth floor,an army of Heartless appeared,blocking them from the doorway.

Riku swore under his breath,and began killing all of the Heartless in his path. The others followed suit. After about ten minutes,the Heartless ceased to appear. Kairi and Namine both fell to the floor,many cuts and gashes in their skin. Roxas and Sora immediately rushed to their sides,cured them,and helped them up.

"Come on."Sora said as the rest of them began heading towards the stairs.

Riku looked to his side,and nearly yelled out upon what he saw. Kumi was standing there,smiling at him. She giggled at the look he had on his face.

"Riku?"Sora called,and Riku looked at his friends. He looked back at Kumi,but she disappeared with a small flash of light.

"C-coming."Riku answered,his voice cracking,and joined the group.

An older-looking man awaited them on the fifth floor. Leaning against a large statue of Midori with his arms crossed against his chest,he sat for merely moments before the doors burst open,revealing the eight warriors determined to finish Midori off. Little did any of them,including the new Nobody,know was that Kumi was sitting in the darkest shadows of the room,observing everyone of the eight "guests",wondering which one she'd get to kill. The man smirked at them.

"Name's Alex(A/N:NOT Axel!)"he told them simply.

"Out of our way!"Riku yelled at the man,and charged at him with his weapon ready. Alex disappeared,and Riku skidded to a halt. As quickly as he disappeared,Alex reappeared behind Riku. Riku's eyes widened as he felt a sudden pain near his side,and yelled in pain before he collapsed. None of the others had seen it,but Alex had just hit one of Riku's main Chakra Points([Another XDA/N:They don't just exsist in Naruto!) without even hesitating to locate it.

Sora gasped,and glared at Alex. He made to go after him,but Roxas and Kairi restrained him with great difficulty. "Riku!"Sora called,and Riku's left hand twitched.

"It's no use,you won't be able to move for a couple of hours."Alex gave a just as a convincing laugh as Calexia did.

_Kumi..._ Riku was only concentrating on getting Kumi back. He didn't care what happened to him,he only wanted Kumi back safe. Riku grunted,and slowly got up. Alex's eyes widened,and he gaped at Riku.

"That's... That's _impossible!_"Alex gaped,but quickly dodged Riku's attack. The others made to join him,but just then,ten of Midori's "pets" appeared. None of them could figure out how to kill them,or even hurt them. Except for Roxas and Namine

"Stab them in the chest!"Namine and Roxas yelled in unision,blocking the attacks of one of the beasts,and Sora mentally kicked himself.

_'Stupid! How could I forget that?!'_the 17-year-old thought angrily,and sunk his Keyblade into the chest of one of the beasts. It gave a sickening screech,then exploded into dust. Kairi raised her Keyblade to strike one of the beasts,but was instead attacked by another. She yelled in pain as it made a gash in her side,and Namine grunted,holding her side as well.

Kumi's eyes widened: Whatever happened to the original,happened to their Nobody in this castle.

Sora was hit in the head,and both he and Roxas howled as their heads seared in pain. Donald cast cure on Sora and Kairi,and they,plus their Nobodies,got up and continued battling.

Riku yelled in aggrivation as he swung at Alex,but missed yet again.

"You're losing your touch,Keyblade Master."Alex taunted him. Riku growled,and swung with such strength,he finally made contact. Alex yelled as Riku made a long gash in his arm. He quickly recovered,and hit another one if Riku's Chakra Points. Riku felt some control of his limbs being ripped away from him,and he fell to his knees,but got back up despite his pain. He suddenly saw her again... standing in the corner of the room,staring at them all... Kumi... Riku's eyes widened as he saw her frightened expression...

Kumi was scared. She needed his help.

Riku felt Alex hit another Chakra Point,and he yelled in pain yet again. He went down to one knee,and was hit on the same Chakra Point, he went to both knees. He was hit again, he went down on his hads and knees. He still got up,and saw that Kumi was now silently crying. Frightened because the boy she loved like a brother might be killed. Riku felt tears prick at his eyes as he was hit on another Chakra Point on his shoulder. But the tears had nothing to do with the physical pain he felt,and everything to do with the pain in his heart. His eyes narrowed as a dangerous glint filled them.

Alex sent another attack at Riku,but Riku instead grabbed his wrist an inch before it could make contact with another Chakra Point. Alex struggled to break his arm free from Riku's grip,and failed.

_"Get out of my way!!"_Riku yelled,and punched Alex directly in the gut. Alex gave a loud grunt,and flew back,hitting the wall opposite them. He collasped to the floor,and faded into Oblivion the moment he hit the ground. The creatures disappeared,and Riku's friends all stared at him in shock. Riku looked at them, and continued to the next floor without another word.

Kumi took note that the boy one of the others called "Riku" was the strongest. Something about him seemed vaguely familiar...


	9. Chapter 9

So far, the gang had had to fight two more nobodies, each time the battles getting harder and harder to even survive in. Now, each of the warriors were interlocked in battle with different Nobodies, switching opponents time to time to try and even the odds. Kairi was struck, Namine felt the exact pain. Roxas was struck, Sora felt the exact pain_. This castle wasn't normal!_

Midori herself appeared in the shadows, observing the warriors as well. Kumi glanced sideways at her before turning her attention back to the battle. She was enjoying the sight of pain in others, almost as much as Midori was.

"KAIRI! NAMINE!" Sora and Roxas yelled in unision as the two girls were knocked unconscious and were starting to get dragged away by Shadows. Sora bounded forward after ripping himself from the grip of the Nohearts(Midori's "pets" that she created from Heartless and Nobodies. I just came up with a name for them.) that were trying to drag him away as well. Roxas struggled with his opponent and finally beat her, and sent her sinking into Oblivion. Sora killed as many shadows as he could along with Roxas, then reached Kairi and Namine. They were about to grab them, when they sunk into a puddle of darkness. "NO!" they yelled, looking around frantically for a sign of them. There was none.

"YOUR MAGESTY!" Donald yelled at the top of his lungs as he witnissed King Mickey being struck down and begin sink into a puddle of darkness as well. The King looked up at Donald sadly, not able to move. Donald grabbed his arms, trying with all of the strength he had left to pull the King free. King Mickey closed his eyes, knowing this was his defeat, and spoke these words:

"I'm sorry that I failed you all." He spoke in a weak voice, and Donald's grip slipped and the King was completely submerged in darkness. Donald just stared in shock, rooted to the spot. He closed his eyes in fury, growling dangerously. He yelled loudly, pointing his wand high into the air, casting a thunder spell so ferocious it destroyed every heartless and noheart there. The Nobodies took much damage, all going to their knees.

Riku and Goofy stared at Donald, their eyes wide, as he breathed heavily and shook in anger and fury. The two noticed that Sora and Roxas were staring at a spot on the floor too, unmoving, with wide eyes.

...and so did the first true losses from this battle take place.

"_Kairi..._" Sora choked out through clenched teeth, his eyes wet with tears. Roxas was having the exact same reaction about losing Namine. Riku helped his two friends up as Goofy struggled with Donald, who was crying over the spot where King Mickey had faded away.

"To all of you who are left, consider this a warning. You cannot defeat me, and if you wish to save the ones I have just taken, leave now or they will really die." Midori spoke, appearing on a balcony over looking the room, where the others could plainly see her. The survivors all looked up at her, glaring dangerously at her.

"YOU!" Donald bellowed, pointing his wand at her. Goofy restrained Donald from trying to harm her, knowing what might and most likely will happen if he did so. "LET GO OF ME, GOOFY!" Donald yelled, but Goofy refused to. Donald eventually calmed down.

"You have yet to leave!" Midori said, and she outstretched her hand to her side, and Kairi appeared in it, unconscious. She grabbed Kairi by her throat, and Kairi began choking and gasping for breath after a few moments. Namine appeared, floating in mid-air, only half-conscious, and was having the same reaction.

"NO!!" Sora and Roxas yelled in unision, eyes wide in fear, and Midori dropped Kairi to the floor, and both she and Namine began breathing properly again.

"We're not leaving without them!" Riku said loudly, and Midori's lips curled into a twisted smile.

"I'll take that as a challenge." she said menacingly, and disappeared, taking Kairi and Namine with her.

The "survivors" all headed toward the door to the next floor, and found twice as many Heartless, Nobodies, and Nohearts than the last one. Riku yelled in aggrivation and began killing many of them, and the others followed suit. Sora and Roxas fought back-to-back against a sea of opponents, and Donald and Goofy did so as well while Riku fought one-on-one with a Nobody that looked his age. Soon, their opponents were no more, and Goofy now lay on the floor while Donald tried to wake him up.

"Goofy! _Goofy!_ GOOFY!" Donald yelled, shaking him, and healed him after realizing that shaking him wasn't helping. Goofy opened his eyes, and sat up, holding his head.

"Gawrsh, that really hurt..." Goofy said, and Donald helped him to his feet. They opened the door to the next floor, and found the room empty of all life, except for a small heartless that looked around, but didn't move or run anywhere. It jumped when it saw the others and scurried off.

"What the heck was that about?" Sora asked, scratching his head in confusion. Roxas had the same expression on his face.

Riku looked around, then his eyes widened. He saw Kumi appear at the other side of the room, but he shook his head.

'It's an illusion. Midori's trying to trick me..' he thought, and kept repeating it to himself as Kumi stared at him, until Sora mentioned something.

"Riku, that's Kumi!" Sora said, and the others all gasped as they saw her, too. Riku's eyes widened as he realized it wasn't an illusion. He ran towards her, but then she disappeared in a quick flash of light. The others all yelled as they were trapped within a giant, transparent black flower. Riku turned around and ran back towards them.

"No! _No!_" Riku yelled, banging on the wall of darkness separating him from his friends as Sora and Roxas banged back while Donald and Goofy looked around to see if Midori was in the room again. Riku yelled louder and the flower sunk into the floor. He went to his hands and knees, his anger spiking, and he turned around as he heard a small laugh. "Y-You?!"

**Yes, I know, so freaking short. I'm sorry that I haven't updated until now!!**


	10. Chapter 10

Riku stared again at Kumi, not believing anything he saw anymore. She looked the same as she did the day before she "died". He knew that wasn't really her, so he ignored her. She came running up to him, and tripped halfway, scraping her knee after doing so. She got back up, crying quietly, and Riku began grinding his teeth together out of anger. He shut his eyes tightly.

"Nii-chan." Kumi said, wiping away her tears, and she smiled. "Nii-chan, let's go." she said again. "I want you to train me." she said, walking closer to him until she was a few steps away. Riku's expression twisted with agony as he continued to ignore her. "Why are you ignoring me?" she asked, her voice shaking. "Please, don't ignore me. I'm sorry if I did something wrong." she said, crying again. She sobbed loud enough for Riku's heart to ache twice as badly in emotional pain. "Nii-chan!" she wailed, and Riku struck her with Way to the Dawn. She disappeared.

"You're learning not to trust yourself too much," Midori spoke, appearing behind him out of nowhere, and he jumped, then stumbled away from her. She gave him the same, twisted smile. "What if that had really been her?" she asked lightly, and Riku glared at her. "You could have really hurt her."

"Shut up! It wasn't her, so shut up!" Riku yelled, and swung at her with his weapon. She dodged it with ease, then disappeared. Riku screamed in rage.

Kumi watched with intrigue at the boy's rage. She had no idea someone could get so angry in so little time... She turned to face Midori a moment before she even appeared.

Midori's expression was troubled.

"Fight him, now. He troubles me." Midori said, and Kumi felt her own rage spike at this fact.

"I'll eliminate anyone who troubles you, Mistress." she said darkly, her eyes turning black, and disappeared. Midori's expression turned blank again for a second, before smirking.

Kumi appeared behind Riku, who was calming himself down, and she said nothing. He turned around, then his eyes widened again, then he glared at her, before turning away. Kumi felt annoyed by this.

"It's rude to ignore, boy," she said in a acid tone, and he turned back to her, looking surprised.

"You're not an illusion... are you?" Riku asked in a disbelieving voice, and Kumi shook her head slowly. She suddenly glared at him intensely, summoning her staff.

"My Mistress is troubled by you. No one troubles her and lives to see the next day." she said, and Riku's eyes widened more in shock.

She sped up to him, and swung at his side. He blocked her attack just in time, then knocked her ten feet away, yelling, "Kumi, stop! I don't want to fight you!"

Kumi merely attacked again, hitting him in the arm, causing him to drop his weapon. He jumped back ten feet, summoned his weapon again, and blocked her next attack. He could barely keep up with her movements as she attacked again and again, getting faster with every second. He refused to hit her, but instead kept blocking her attacks, then sending her back far away enough to catch his breath for a moment.

Midori watched with a look of boredom from her crystal ball as Yuroshi came up to her with a teapot and teacups. She began pouring hot tea into a cup for Midori, but Midori ignored it, and waved her off. Kumi should have beaten that weakling by now, so why hadn't she?

Kumi was knocked back again and again and again, and the boy hadn't fallen yet! Her rage rose more, and she jumped back twenty feet, landing on her hands and knees. She took in slightly uneven breaths, and wiped sweat from her forehead. Riku stood there, staring after her, completely still. Kumi stared back, her eyes cold and filled with hatred toward him, and thought.

_'He's harder than I thought he'd be to beat. Perhaps I should... No, that'd only waste my energy. But... I can't disappoint the Mistress...'_ she thought, then her eyes began glowing purple.

Riku saw the glow of her eyes even from across that giant room, and his own eyes went wide as her staff turned into a black sword, a purple/black glow surrounding the blade. She disappeared, then Riku howled in pain as Kumi suddenly tore a long gash in his arm, then disappeared again. She reappeared, and knocked him off of his feet. He flew high into the air, and Kumi began rushing at him, slicing his shoulder, legs, back, and face. He landed on his back again, barely conscious, and Kumi stood over him.

"Why won't you fight back?" she asked rather calmly, and Riku looked at her with weary eyes.

"You really don't remember?" he asked, and Kumi eyes him suspisciously. "I promised you that I'd never hurt you, Kumi, but I guess I haven't kept it very well." Riku said, and he slowly sat up. Kumi's staff changed back to normal, and she kept it at guard as Riku drank a potion.

"I've never met you before in my life!" Kumi told him, and Riku shook his head.

"How much of your so-called life do you even remember?!" he yelled, and Kumi's expression turned blank, her rage gone. "Only the last few months, right?!" he yelled again, and Kumi stared at him. "Midori tricked you!" he said, grabbing her by her shoulders and shaking her slightly.

Kumi suddenly saw flashes of long-forgotten memories, of someone who looked familiar... Herself, maybe? No.. Yes... That was definitely her. It was memories of when she was with Riku, having fun, spending time together...

"No!" Kumi yelled, and knocked him away. "Liar! You're a liar! You don't care!" she yelled, and clutched at her chest in pain. What was this feeling? It wasn't rage, or hatred... Nothing she felt familiar with... Sadness... It was sadness. She felt unfamiliar tears well up in her eyes as she gasped for breath, these sudden emotions overwhelming her. "Wh-what have you done to me?!" she yelled, clutching her chest more. Riku looked at her with wide eyes, then suddenly understood, and he smirked for a moment.

"Midori took away your memories! She took away all of your emotions expect for rage and hatred!" Riku yelled again, and Kumi yelled in agony, many emotions and memories flooding her mind at once.

"Shut up!" she yelled hysterically, feeling disoriented.

"She took away your humanity, Kumi!" he continued.

"_Shut up!_"

"She took away your _light_!" he said, and Kumi screamed, Darkness seeping from her like smoke as she crouched on her knees. He rushed over to her, about to embrace her.

"IF YOU TOUCH ME, I'LL KILL YOU!" she screamed, the Darkness thickening, her wide eyes glowing purple. Riku only ignored her, and pulled her into a tight hug. She screamed, and writhed, and her tiny hands found their way around his neck. "I'LL.. KILL... YOU!" she screamed again, her entire body trembling as black tears leaked from her eyes, her grip tightening around his neck more. Riku only held his breath, and hugged her tighter.

"If you want to kill me, then kill me." he said to her, closing his eyes. Kumi looked at him with shock, her hands still around his neck. "If you truly want to kill me, if you truly wish for me to die with your entire heart, then go ahead and kill me. If I die, then I die happy as long as it's at your hands." he said calmly, and Kumi felt the sea of emotion calm, her eyes reverting back to their original color, and her skin growing less pale. Her hands fell limply to her sides as she stared at Riku, who had already released her, and he stared back. "I love you, Kumi. You're my sister." he said, and Kumi heard her voice within her head, repeating the word "Nii-chan."

She suddenly remembered everything: from the moment she ran into Riku by chance, up until this very moment as Riku held her for the first time in months, and she felt ashamed. She had been so stupid, and selfish. Even though she had believed Midori's lies about Riku and the others simply replacing her with Kairi, she still could have just gone on with her life, and live with the pain until it tired of tormenting her and died away, instead of choosing to embrace the Darkness and get rid of her emotions to not feel the pain at all.

Now Kumi felt it ten times worse. And, it really, _really_ hurt. She sobbed into Riku's shoulder, clutching onto him as if he was the only thing that could keep her alive in this universe.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... Nii-chan, I'm so sorry..." she kept whispering, and Riku smiled for the first time in what felt like eternity to him. He had longed to hear her voice for so long, not the ones in his illusions, or his dreams, or the cold voice she had had only minutes ago, but her actual voice. It was so soft, and he closed his eyes to enjoy it.

Screams of pain suddenly echoed through the entire castle as Midori stood over them, her staff stabbed through the back of Riku's chest and out the front. Kumi's eyes went wide.

"Traitor." Midori said in monotone as Riku fell to the floor. Kumi screamed as she watched Riku bleed, then screamed again when Midori broke her own staff in half, leaving one half in Riku's chest. Kumi went to her knees by Riku's side as Midori disappeared, and she cried.

"NII-CHAN!" she screamed, and Riku coughed, spitting blood out of his mouth. She carefully pulled the part of Midori's staff out of Riku's chest, and he yelled in pain. She cast cure on him, but it didn't heal him. She cast cure twice more, but nothing happened, still. She sobbed as he looked at her, and he slowly took her hand in his. He mouthed something she couldn't understand, then his eyes closed. "No! _No!_ NO!" she screamed, and she clung onto his body as his ragged breaths shortened with every one. "This is all my fault! You're going to die because of me!" she said, and Riku only coughed in response, before his heart floated out of his chest, and Kumi's sobs grew louder. "_I'd give anything to take it all back_!" she screamed, and her staff suddenly began quivering. She looked up at it, and it began glowing the purest white she'd seen as it floated of it's own accord directly above her. It became still, and dropped back to the floor, the heart-shaped crystal tapping Riku on the chest.

The room became filled with a blinding white light, and Kumi found herself being embraced by Riku, who was completely healed and alive. She didn't ask, but only clung to him, sobbing again.

"Kumi, thank you." he said quietly, and Kumi sniffed and hugged tighter. "Our hearts are connected, now. The bond between us is even stronger, and it will never be broken like it was again." he continued, and he and Kumi both were consumed in light once more.

"I'm going to kill Midori." Kumi said grimly, staring after the spot where Midori last stood. "I'm going to make her suffer!" she said again.

Riku suddenly struck her, and she held her cheek in shock.

"You won't get anywhere with those dark thoughts." he said, then hugged her again. "I'm sorry, I acted without thinking, but everyone's in danger. Midori still has them locked up somewhere. If we want even a chance at rescuing them, then we've got to learn to control ourselves, our emotions, the darkness, and light, within us." he told her quietly, and Kumi nodded, ignoring the stinging sensation on her cheek.

"I think I can help you two with that." A voice Riku hadn't heard for nearly two years said, causing both Riku and Kumi to jump. They whirled around, and Riku gasped.

"Y-You're _alive_?!" Riku asked in shock, and Kumi hid behind partially behind Riku from the Nobody.

"Somehow, yeah, I am," the Nobody said with a grin.

"Who... who are you?" Kumi asked, staring up at him, in fear that he might be another Nobody sent by Midori.

"The name's Axel. That's A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?"


End file.
